


It's Ladies Night - Let's Start a Fight

by Namaenai



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And Champ gets punched, But there is WayHaught fluff, Champ is a stripper, F/F, Ignore my lame tags, a bad one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:15:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29647005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Namaenai/pseuds/Namaenai
Summary: It's "ladies night" at Pussy Willows and that's where Stephanie Jones wants to celebrate her bachelorette party. But Waverly is in for a surprise when one of the strippers is a little too familiar -- and too familiar with Stephanie. What will happen when a redheaded deputy is called out to the club to deal with the fallout of Waverly's discovery?---The Champ is a stripper AU that no one wanted or asked for (except my muse).
Relationships: Waverly Earp & Wynonna Earp, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 22
Kudos: 147





	It's Ladies Night - Let's Start a Fight

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a random tweet with those strip club photos from episode 407 where someone asked what if Champ was one of the strippers. That set my muse off and running and this is the result. Being me, of course it ended up with some fluffy WayHaught moments. 
> 
> But rather than setting this at a WayHaught bachelorette party, I set this in mid-Season 1, before Waverly comes to her senses about Champ. In other words, an alternate story about how these two finally come to their senses. (There really isn't _that_ much Champ in it...)
> 
> Thanks to [outsidemynorm15](https://archiveofourown.org/users/outsidemynorm15/pseuds/outsidemynorm15) for the encouragement and assistance.

Waverly looked at the invitation sitting in her email inbox and groaned. Really? This was the last thing she wanted right now.

“Whatcha groaning about baby girl?” Wynonna asked as she came into the room.

“Stephanie Jones’ bachelorette party.”

Waverly turned the computer toward her sister so she could read the invitation.

“Saturday night. Ladies’ night at Pussy Willows. Hot men.” Wynonna’s eyes went wide as she read the invitation aloud. “Wait, when did Pussy Willows start a ladies’ night?”

Waverly rolled her eyes and looked at her sister. That was Wynonna’s takeaway from this?

“I’m not going,” the younger Earp insisted.

Wynonna looked at her with eyes wide as saucers. “Guacascuse me? You are going, and I am going as your plus one.”

“I don’t see that it says ‘plus one’ on the invitation. Besides, I’m with Champ. Why do I need to go look at a bunch of other guys?”

“First, gross. B, when are you going to dump him? You could do so much better. And, lastly, you really think Chump wouldn’t go if one of his buddies had a bachelor party at a strip club?”

Waverly sighed. Wynonna was right. Of course, she was. Although there was no way in hell she would ever admit it to her older sister. 

The truth is, she was starting to question her relationship with Champ. She found it happening even more often since a certain redheaded deputy walked into Shorty’s one morning, asking for a coffee well before they opened for the day. She had been seeing Nicole around town more and more since then and somehow her eyes were always drawn to the officer. Surely it was nothing more than curiosity about the newcomer to town. She was with Champ and had been since high school. But she was starting to wonder, was he really what she still wanted?

“Fine, Nonna. I’ll go.”

“Alright!” Wynonna held out her hand for a high-five, but Waverly just rolled her eyes.

***

The Earp sisters entered the darkened club, one far more excited than the other. Around the club, already-tipsy women were hooting and hollering as servers and bartenders wearing tight silver shorts and short-sleeved, black, button-up crop tops that exposed their muscular abdomens and arms, served them over-priced drinks. Wynonna’s eyes were wide and appreciative; Waverly’s scanned the room for her friends.

“Waverly, over here!” Chrissy called from a spot by the stage.

A group of high school friends sat near Chrissy, with a few more at a small table behind them. Stephanie sat amidst the group near the very end of the stage. She was clad in a tight, short, yellow dress that stood out among the crowd, a sash hanging across her body read “bachelorette” in large bright letters.

“Waves, I’m so glad you made it!” Stephanie’s tone was sugary sweet, dripping in facetiousness. 

“I saved you a seat,” Chrissy pointed to a seat beside her as Waverly drew near. “But I didn’t realize Wynonna was coming with you. Ummm…”

“What up, Baby Nedley?” Wynonna said with a nod at the Sheriff’s daughter.

“It’s okay, Chrissy. We’ll just sit at the table and one of the other girls can move up.”

Waverly wouldn’t admit it, but she was glad that there was not space for both sisters right beside the stage, giving her a perfect excuse to sit somewhere out of the way. She didn’t want to be here in the first place, and the idea of sitting so close was far from appealing. It wasn’t like she couldn’t catch up with Chrissy later.

Wynonna looked like she was about to say something — no doubt something about her taking the seat if Waverly wasn’t going to. She wouldn’t begrudge her older sister that opportunity, if she really wanted it, but the only reason she was here in the first place was that Wynonna convinced her. She saw it as a chance for some sister time, something she had missed over the years Wynonna had been gone, but she also knew her sister would enjoy the spectacle on stage. But then the sisters’ eyes met, and the older Earp’s eyes softened.

“I’m gonna go get us drinks, baby girl,” she finally said. “You want your usual?”

***

Unsurprisingly, Waverly found herself bored. Her eyes kept wandering around the room, watching the women, and the few men, who seemed to be enjoying the show, mentally creating stories about who they were and why they were there. Wynonna was several drinks in and was hooting and hollering at all the strippers as they took the stage. She would squeeze her way up beside Chrissy whenever she could to shove dollar bills in the dancer’s waistbands. Waverly was pretty sure she saw Wynonna writing her phone number on some of the bills as she exchanged glances with a couple of the dancers.

Waverly’s attention was eventually drawn to the stage as the emcee came out after a short break.

“Ladies, it seems we have a special bachelorette party here today. Stephanie, come on up here.”

A hay bale was brought onto the stage and one of the dancers from earlier escorted Stephanie up the stairs and onto the stage. Waverly rolled her eyes as Stephanie’s friends all screamed in their excitement. The stage lights dimmed leaving only Stephanie and the emcee illuminated as the man moved toward the back of the stage.

“Everyone put your hands together for one of our star attractions, Rodeo Champ!”

_ Oh great _ , Waverly thought. She was hoping that this, of all places, was somewhere to get away from thoughts of Champ, who she had been avoiding lately. But now there was a stripper calling himself a rodeo champ? She groaned. She wondered if it was too soon to make a graceful exit from this evening. Stephanie was so caught up in what was going on, she certainly wouldn’t notice. But Wynonna seemed to be having a good time, so she would stick it out.

As the first notes of Big & Rich’s  _ Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy _ came on, Waverly let out an audible groan. As if it wasn’t bad enough that this guy’s stripper name was Rodeo Champ, he was dancing to  _ this _ of all songs? There was a time when things were going well between her and Champ, when he had tried doing a striptease for her and it was this song he had chosen to strip to. At first, Waverly had found it cute, like maybe Champ was making an effort for once, that maybe he was doing it for her. He was awkward and lacked rhythm, but Waverly had found it endearing. That is, until the chorus came on. As he mouthed “save a horse, ride a cowboy,” the look in his eyes, and the growing bulge in his pants, made it clear that it was once again only about his own gratification. She sighed.

The lights above the stage started coming up as the music got louder. The curtain pulled back and a spotlight revealed the next dancer. He wore pants that resembled chaps over a pair of jeans, but they appeared to be one piece. _ They probably have snaps so they can tear off quickly _ , Waverly thought with a roll of her eyes. A black belt with an oversized belt buckle was wrapped around his waist. His shirt was red and black flannel with a black leather vest. A red bandana covered his lower face and oversized sunglasses covered the rest. Atop his head, a cheap cowboy hat, likely an item he could give away to increase his tips.

Waverly felt a hand slap her knee and realized that her sister was looking back at her.

“Didn’t you tell me Chump did a dance to this song for you once,” Wyonna said with a shit-eating grin. “I hope this guy is better than what you described.”

The man moved out onto the stage with a confident swagger as the music blared. He removed his hat and waved it around as his body moved around  _ sort of _ in time with the music. He then strutted down the small stage, still fully clothed, in a move that seemed to look like he was mimicking riding a horse as he pulled out the rope at his side.

He continued down the stage until he reached Stephanie. He took the rope and threw the lasso around her, using it to draw himself forward toward her as her friends screamed nearby. Waverly couldn’t help but notice the lust in her friend’s eyes, almost as if she recognized the man whose face was covered. He removed his hat, which Waverly could now see had the show’s name on it — _ yep, a cheap giveaway _ — and placed it on Stephanie’s head.

Around the club, women shouted out “save a horse, ride a cowboy” when the song hit that lyric for the first time.

Stephanie pulled at the man’s flannel shirt as he got closer. Her hands moved to his belt buckle, as he thrust his groin forward, grinding toward her, encouraging her to undo the belt. She pulled it and he stepped back, tugging his flannel shirt from his pants as she pulled the belt from his belt loops. He strutted around the stage, not quite in time to the music, unbuttoning his shirt. As he tugged it down, Waverly caught sight of a hint of tattoos covering his arms. Something in her mind started sending up warning signals.

The man tugged his shirt off, spinning it around above his head before throwing it back toward the stage curtain. Waverly’s jaw dropped. The stripper’s face was still covered by the bandana, but she would recognize those tattooed arms anywhere. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Champ was a stripper and she had no idea he was doing it at all, let alone how long it had been going on. She felt her cheeks redden. Embarrassment? Rage? Perhaps a little of both.

The women in the club screamed as the music changed, Big & Rich fading into Nickelback’s  _ Burn It to The Ground _ . Champ’s hands moved to his waistband, tugging it down to reveal a hint of whatever he wore beneath, as he turned around and awkwardly attempted to twerk.

“Baby girl, is that…” Wynonna called, pausing as she caught the fiery look on Waverly’s face as she turned toward the younger Earp. “Uh, yeah, I thought so.”

Waverly felt frozen in place, her brain short circuiting as it tried to take in and process the sight in front of her. Part of her wanted to run from the club and never look back. Part of her wanted to storm the stage and confront her boyfriend. Part of her wondered if Stephanie knew. No, that much was obvious from the look on Stephanie’s face that confirmed the many rumors of Champ and Stephanie’s cheating.

On the stage, Champ’s dance continued. The crowd was screaming as his hands tugged at his waistband, tugging off the faux chaps he was wearing, leaving him in nothing but a G-string.

“Damn Waves, at least now I see why you have stuck with him this long,” Wynonna said with wide eyes.

Waverly snorted. Leave it to Wynonna to snap her out of her thoughts.

“Padding,” she muttered, drawing a very loud laugh from her sister.

On stage, Champ moved toward Stephanie, who still sat on the hay bale, practically drooling as she stared at him. As he reached her, he guided her to lean back and started grinding on her. Stephanie reached toward his bandana, pulling it down to reveal a smile that showed his overly bright white teeth. And then they were kissing, right there in front of everyone. And not just kissing, Champ’s tongue was halfway down Stephanie’s throat as he ground on her.

That was the last straw for Waverly. She stood from her chair so quickly it went flying backwards, drawing attention from those sitting near her. She stormed toward the stage with fury burning within her, her hands grabbing a pitcher of beer from the table as she went. She barely realized what she was doing as she splashed the pitcher’s content onto her boyfriend and the bachelorette.

“What the fuck!” Champ exclaimed as Stephanie still tugged at him.

He glanced up, looking for the source of the beer that now soaked him and the woman beneath him. As his eyes met Waverly’s, all color drained from his face. At least he had the sense to be embarrassed.

“We’re done, Champ!” she yelled.

Within moments, bouncers were around her, holding her by either arm. She spotted Wynonna moving toward them from the corner of her eye and she worried her sister was about to escalate the situation.

“I’m leaving,” she said as she shrugged off the bouncer. “Just let me grab my purse and coat.”

The bouncers followed her as she grabbed her things and then escorted her toward the door. It was then that Champ came running forward, still clad in only his G-string.

“Babe, wait. I’m sorry,” he pleaded. “Just, can we talk.”

The bouncers stepped back to give them room as Waverly spun to face him. Someone came running from the back to give him a robe so he could at least partially cover himself. Wynonna stood to the side, her arms crossed as she glared at the stripper.

“What is there to talk about, Champ? About how you never told me you were doing this? That you were grinding on Stephanie with your tongue down her throat in front of a room full of women, including my friends?”

“But babe, I was just trying to make some extra money,” he whined. “It was about the tips.”

“I’ve heard the rumors, Champ. Everyone knows about you and Stephanie. I was just too stupid to believe it. No, we’re done. I’m going back to the Homestead with Wynonna. Get your shit out of my apartment by tomorrow and leave the key with Gus.”

Waverly turned to leave, and Champ roughly grabbed her arm to stop her. As she turned toward him, she saw a dark expression cross her sister’s face. Before she could say anything, Wynonna’s fist was connecting with Champ’s face, sending him reeling backward. The motion as Champ was sent falling backward nearly took Waverly down with him, but she managed to keep her footing.

“She said you’re done, Chump,” Wynonna snarled beside her. “Keep your hands off.”

And with that, the bouncers were restraining both Earp sisters. Waverly caught sight of Chrissy on her cell phone approaching them. The sheriff’s daughter followed as the sisters were led — practically dragged in Wynonna’s case — out by the bouncers. Another staff member was quickly attending to Champ. The bouncers restrained Wynonna as they waited for a sheriff’s officer to arrive.

“Waves,” Chrissy said, once they were outside. “I called daddy, just to head off any problems. He said he got a call when you first drenched Champ with the beer. I don’t blame you for that, by the way. He deserved it. They weren’t going to send anyone until a second call came in after Wynonna decked him.”

Waverly sighed. “Thanks Chrissy.”

“You should know, he’s sending Deputy Haught.”

Waverly groaned. Of all people, he had to send the new deputy. The one who had been on her mind since the day she swaggered into Shorty’s and asked for a coffee. The one who had helped when the wonky beer tap burst and soaked her. The one who always seemed to be around with a comforting glance or reassuring word, whose mere presence was a comfort. 

If she was ready to be honest with herself, Waverly would have realized that it was the deputy’s arrival that led her to start questioning her relationship with the… stripper. Something had passed between them in that first meeting, a connection that felt age-old, as if they had always known each other. The way Nicole looked at her made her feel things she never felt with Champ, made her feel like the woman really saw  _ her _ . Like she saw the real person, not just the version of Waverly the rest of the town saw. 

And now she was going to see this mess.

She looked up at Chrissy and saw something in her friend’s eyes that she couldn’t quite comprehend. Her look was sympathetic, but it held something else, too. If Waverly had to describe it, she would almost call it a combination of knowingness and mischief. She raised an eyebrow at her friend, about to ask what she was thinking, when she was pulled from her thoughts.

“Let go of me, you goons,” Wynonna demanded from a short distance away, trying to pull out of their grip.

“I’m going to head back in and make sure that everything has settled down,” Chrissy nodded toward an approaching patrol car as she added, “You’ll be in good hands with Haught, Waves. She’s good people and she’ll take care of you. I’ll see you soon.”

Waverly couldn’t help but feel there was a deeper meaning to Chrissy’s comment, that she was referring to more than just the fallout from this incident. But, before she could ask, her friend was gone.

“Gentlemen, I’ll take it from here,” an authoritative voice said from behind Waverly, sending a shiver through her.

“Don’t we need to give you our statement or something?” This wasn’t the bouncers’ first incident and they clearly were familiar with standard procedure.

Nicole glanced between the Earp sisters, her gaze landing on Waverly a little longer than strictly necessary. There was a hint of apology in her eyes before she turned to the bouncer.

“Oh, um, yes. Of course. And please have the _ gentleman _ who Ms. Earp allegedly punched come out so I can take his statement.” Her disdain for Champ was clear in her voice.

As one of the bouncers went inside to retrieve Champ, Nicole pulled Waverly aside.

“Hey, Haughty, can you get these guys to let me go?” Wynonna called after them.

“I’m sorry you had to come out here, Deputy Haught,” Waverly said sadly.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Nicole assured, resting a hand gently on Waverly’s arm. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

Nicole pulled out her note pad but didn’t write anything on it as Waverly recounted the events that led to the call to the Sheriff’s Department. Waverly looked up curiously as the officer multiple times had to disguise a laugh with a cough. By the time she finished her story, Waverly felt better. She felt like Nicole understood and perhaps even agreed that Champ deserved what had happened. They looked at each other for a moment, something unspoken passing between them, until it was interrupted.

“You gonna arrest this psycho,” Champ demanded, as he pointed at Wynonna.

Waverly gave Wynonna a look, just as she was about to speak up, that silenced her. She glanced toward Champ, who was looking worse for the wear. He had bits of tissue shoved up his nose to stop the bleeding and dark circles were forming under his eyes. At least he had changed back into his street clothes.

“So why don’t you tell me what happened,” Nicole prompted.

“I was just trying to talk to my girl,” Champ began, stepping beside Waverly and putting his arm possessively around her shoulder.

Waverly cringed and tried to step aside, but Champ held tight.

“Let go of me, Champ. I told you we’re over.”

“See, Haught Shot,” Wynonna yelled, straining against the bouncer who still held her.

“C’mon, babe. I said I was sorry.” He looked at her with wide, pleading eyes.

“I am going to have to ask you to let her go, Champ,” Nicole said, her tone commanding.

Champ glared and kept his arm around Waverly for a moment as he seemed to debate what to do. Finally, he released his grip on her.

“Whatever,” he snorted, now looking toward Waverly. “It’s not like you won’t come crawling back.”

“I meant it, Champ,” Waverly growled. “We’re over. Get your shit out of my apartment by tomorrow.”

“I’d recommend you do what she is asking,” Nicole warned.

“Whatever,” Champ said as he threw his hands in the air and went back inside.

“You okay, Waves?” Nicole’s voice, like the look in her eyes, was sincere and comforting.

“Yeah. Thank you,” Waverly said softly, smiling at the officer.

“I am going to take you and Wynonna down to the station to get your statement but, ummm,” she glanced around to make sure the bouncers weren’t in earshot. “Look, I’m not going to book her for hitting him. He deserved it from what I observed. But I can’t let either of you drive home when I can smell the alcohol on your breath.”

“I understand.” 

“Gentlemen,” Nicole addressed the bouncers. “I’ll take over from here. I’m going to take Ms. Earp down to the station for questioning.”

“What?” Wynonna was livid.

“Nonna, it’s for the best,” Waverly reassured. She gave her sister a pleading look that seemed to calm her down.

Nicole led Wynonna to the back of the patrol car and helped her sit.

“This is probably familiar to you, huh Wynonna?” Nicole teased.

“I swear, Haught, I’m going to kick your ass.”

“Nonna, please don’t add threatening an officer to the list of things that happened tonight,” Waverly sighed.

“Look, baby girl, just because you have a crush on Officer Red Haught, doesn’t mean I have to put up with her bad jokes.”

Waverly felt her face flush as Nicole looked at her with a raised eyebrow. It hadn’t really clicked with her until Wynonna put it into words but, yes, she had to admit, she did have a crush on the deputy. She ducked her head to avoid Nicole’s gaze.

“Do you want to sit in the back with her or up front?” Nicole asked gently.

“C’mon, Waves, sit back here with me. It might be the only chance you have unless you and Haught Stuff here have another reason to spend some time together in the back seat of her cruiser. If you know what I mean...”

Waverly groaned, doing her best to avoid Nicole’s gaze which she could feel boring into her. Wynonna was not  _ that _ drunk—she clearly knew exactly what she was doing. Waverly wondered if homicide would be justifiable under the circumstances. Surely Nicole would let her get away with it, right?

“I’ll sit in the back,” Waverly muttered. “Someone needs to babysit her.”

Nicole laughed as she held the door and then closed it behind Waverly when she was seated.

“I’m going to kill you, Nonna.”

“Did you hear that, Haught Dog? She’s threatening me. You should cuff her. Did you even frisk her to make sure she didn’t have any concealed weapons?”

Waverly just buried her head in her hands and wished for Nicole to drive as fast as she could to the station.

***

Nicole sat across the table from Wynonna in one of the station’s interview rooms. Waverly was waiting outside while the officer formally took her sister’s statement.

“So, what really happened Wynonna?” 

Nicole was relieved to hear Waverly had finally dumped Champ. She knew Wynonna did not like the washed-up rodeo cowboy and she had on occasion observed how possessive Champ was toward Waverly. Sure, she had a crush of her own, but it was more than that. She wasn’t the only one around the younger woman who felt she could do so much better than him, that she could find someone who treated her the way she deserved. 

“What did Waves tell you?” Wynonna asked quietly, no sense of snark present in her tone.

“You know that isn’t how this is supposed to work…”

“Haught…”

“She said she was shocked to see Champ in the first place, that she had no idea he was working as a stripper. And then he started grinding on Stephanie Jones on stage and she lost it.”

“Did she mention that he had his tongue down Stephanie’s throat and that there have already been rumors around town about his cheating?”

“Yes, to the first part, no to the second. She also mentioned that he grabbed her by the arm and wouldn’t let go, and that is when you decked him.”

“Yep,” Wynonna answered, popping the “p” at the end. “If I had Peacemaker with me, I would have shot him in the dick but…”

“Please don’t admit your homicidal intent to me, Wynonna. I am trying to avoid arresting you. As of right now, I’m noting this as defense of others — you only hit him in defense of your sister.”

“What about Waves?”

“She deserves so much better,” Nicole mused, not realizing she had said it out loud.

“Well, yes, she does. But I mean is she in trouble?”

“Oh, um, no.” Nicole blushed.

“You like her, don’t you?” Wynonna asked, her eyebrow raised curiously.

“Is it that obvious?” 

“If I noticed it, then yes.” Wynonna laughed. “You gonna ask her out? I need to know if I should start planning a shovel talk.”

“She just dumped Champ in a very public manner. I am not sure this is the right time to ask.”

“For what it’s worth, you’re definitely a step up from that rodeo clown…”

“Just a step? Gee, thanks Wynonna.”

“Okay, like a whole staircase worth of steps up. Just don’t wait too long — once word gets out that she dumped Chump, the guys will start swarming like piranha or something.”

A silence fell as Nicole contemplated Wynonna’s words. There was no question she had been attracted to Waverly from the moment she laid eyes on her. She hadn’t known about Champ, the boy-man, when she first sauntered into Shorty’s to introduce herself. And what an introduction it had been. Nicole groaned in hindsight at just how brazen she had been, although she had no regrets. 

There was just something about the younger woman that Nicole couldn’t quite place. She felt something — a connection — every time they met. It was more than just physical attraction; it was something she had never felt before. She had thought she was in love once before, but this was something different, maybe something fated. Nicole wanted to see Waverly happy, even if it wasn’t with her. But lord how she hoped that it could be with her. And so she waited, and would continue to wait, until hopefully Waverly could figure things out for herself. 

“And Haught?” Wynonna’s voice drew Nicole from her thoughts. “If you ever hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

“I would never hurt her, Wynonna. And I’ll ignore that you just made another threat to an officer.”

***

Nicole and Wynonna were both laughing as they walked out of the interview room. Waverly looked up from where she sat, her hands in her lap and fingers nervously intertwined, and sighed in relief. She glanced between the two women, curious what had transpired while they spoke behind closed doors. Whatever it was, it didn’t look like Wynonna was under arrest.

“Let’s go home, baby girl,” Wynonna said when they approached. “But first I’ve gotta pee. I’ll be right back.” 

The older Earp never stopped, continuing on her path to the restroom. Waverly found herself alone with Nicole. 

“We kind of don’t have a vehicle,” Waverly reminded Nicole.

“Oh, yeah,” Nicole said. “I’ll drive you back to the Homestead and you can pick up your Jeep from Pussy Willows tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Waverly said.

She looked at Nicole, whose eyes shone with a kindness she wasn’t sure she deserved, especially not after the evening’s events, and she couldn’t stop the single tear that escaped and ran down her cheek. The whole scene had been embarrassing and all she wanted to do was go home, crawl in bed and try to forget all the years she wasted on Champ, on believing he was the best she would find.

Nicole gently reached up and brushed aside the tear. 

“Hey, what’s going on in that brilliant brain of yours right now?” the officer asked softly. “I hope that tear wasn’t for Champ Hardy because you deserve so much better.”

As she looked in the officer’s eyes, she saw something behind the kindness, something deeper. An unspoken connection formed between them, a connection that seemed to be there every time they found themselves in each other’s presence. And she found herself reevaluating what she wanted and, more importantly, who she wanted. 

Waverly felt a warmth spreading throughout her as a realization hit her. She ducked her head as she gathered her thoughts. She looked up at Nicole, trying to find the words to express what she was thinking, her eyes speaking volumes as they met the officer’s.

“Alright, let’s hit the road,” Wynonna called loudly, breaking the spell that seemed to have fallen over the other two.

“Oh, um, yeah,” Nicole mumbled. “Let’s go.”

Waverly sat in the front of the patrol car beside Nicole. As they drove, she found her gaze repeatedly drawn to the officer beside her. It surprised her to find that the officer’s eyes frequently met hers, as if they were drawn to each other.

Waverly was almost disappointed when they finally pulled up to the Homestead. That is, until Wynonna knocked against the partition, distracting her from her thoughts.

“Would you two please stop making googly eyes at each other and let me out? I can’t open the door back here.”

Nicole laughed and got out of the car. She went around to the passenger side, first opening the door for Waverly and then for Wynonna. Waverly lingered while Wynonna hurried toward the house.

“Later, losers. There’s some whiskey with my name on it inside,” she called over her shoulder.

“Thanks for everything, Nicole,” Waverly said softly, her hand resting on Nicole’s arm. “If someone else had come out on that call, Wynonna probably wouldn’t have gotten off so easy.”

“I can’t take all the credit. Chrissy called her dad and he asked me to go out.”

“Still, it meant a lot that you would do that for us.”

“I’d do a lot of things to you.”

“Fo—for me.”

“Yup, that too,” Nicole said quickly.

“Well, it means a lot.” Waverly paused before continuing. “Maybe, ummm… Would you like to maybe get that coffee I owe you for helping me out that day at Shorty’s?”

“I’d love to,” Nicole said, a wide smile creasing her lips.

“I kinda feel like it should be more than just coffee.” Waverly’s voice was quiet and tremulous, as if she worried how the other woman would respond.

Waverly felt Nicole take her hands in her own.

“Tell you what,” the officer said. “Let’s start with coffee. If you feel like it after, we can get dinner or something. No pressure.”

“I like the sound of that,” Waverly said with a beaming smile. “I’ll text you and we can find a time that works?”

“I look forward to it.”

Nicole took one of Waverly’s hands and brought it up to place a gentle kiss across her knuckles.

“Good night, Nicole.”

Before she could change her mind, Waverly leaned toward Nicole, standing on her tiptoes, and quickly kissed the taller woman’s cheek. She then hurried toward the house, not stopping until she reached the door. She turned around with a smile and waved at Nicole who still stood beside her cruiser, looking her way. With one last glance, Waverly opened the door and went into the house. 

“It’s about damn time,” Wynonna said from where she had been watching out the window. “I’m proud of you, baby girl.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, that is where my imagination went when someone raised the concept of Champ as a stripper. 
> 
> Feel free to yell at me on the blue bird app - [Namaenai_Earper](https://twitter.com/Namaenai_Earper) \- if you are so inclined.


End file.
